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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
21 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,229 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Toyota Sienna engine problems

engine problem

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2008 Toyota Sienna Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #49

Nov 102021

Sienna

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Anti skid/slip malfunctions, Brakes are automatic applied while turning a corner. When this happen one dry road surfaces it was harder to control the car. This happen multiple times in the pass. Yes my safety and others on the road was put at risk. Yes been confirmed by independent service centers. 4.) UNKNOWN 5).No. The warning indicator light and buzzer comes on at the time the incident happens.

- Gap, PA, USA

problem #48

Jun 122021

Sienna

  • miles
2008 Toyota Sienna. Driving down steep right turns, VSC light comes on, urgent beeping alarm and tires grip and grip vehicle brakes going 20-30+ mph on dry road. Very scary and dangerous, and has continues repeatedly over the past year on curvy right turns. Local mechanics don't know what is wrong with the vehicle. Many Sienna owners have similar problems listed on Carguru. https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-c9152_ds656326 Please insist on a manufacturing recall for this vehicle. It is unsafe and could easily cause an accident. Thank you. Concerned original car owner.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #47

Apr 062021

Sienna

  • 108,000 miles
Car speed varies when doing a moderate speed example 40 mph sometimes feels like its engine slips and speed slows car jumps forward feels like engine slips or gear shifts. Engine bogs down or sometimes revs up a little..scares me sometimes but no choice but to drive

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #46

Apr 062021

Sienna

  • 108,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brakes have been replaced, and checked several times make a loud grinding noise in wet weather when backing up and sometimes when applying pressure while driving also a 🔊 noise and brakes seem to slip have had to pull over because it scares me can not find anything wrong but continues to persist. Both in highway driving and regular street driving

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #45

Mar 232021

Sienna

  • 146,892 miles
While on an on-ramp; the vehicle at about 35 mph started blinking the slip light and slowed the van down, also causing I think the brakes to engage with force. Happens while driving normally and on ramps. I had the rack and pinion replaced and still has done this.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #44

Oct 232020

Sienna

  • 170,000 miles
The vehicle stability control will unexpectedly engage in instances where it shouldn't activate. The most common is a long, slight curve on at freeway speeds on dry pavement. The second most common scenario is accelerating to enter the freeway. When vsc engages, the vehicle will lurch to the side it was activated on and curtail any acceleration. This makes the vehicle hard to control when on a freeway curve and when attempting to accelerate to merge onto the freeway, causing unexpected motion that is a hazard to remaining on the road or causing the vehicle to be in an accident with other vehicles. There is no indication that there are malfunctions in any system that would cause this to occur. Note: Mileage on the odometer is ~170,000 miles.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #43

Jun 282017

Sienna

  • 170,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. When the contact switched lanes or made a turn, the brakes activated on their own. The failure occurred on flat or curved roads and while driving 30 mph. Sometimes the brakes worked properly, but sometimes they did not work at all. The contact also stated that the vehicle would occasionally accelerate and decelerate on its own and the steering wheel made an abnormal ticking noise. Furthermore, the vsc and traction control indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Toyota knoxville (10415 parkside dr, knoxville, tn 37922), but they did not assist. The vehicle was then taken to fox Toyota (228 fox family ln, clinton, tn 37716) where it was diagnosed that a steering angle sensor needed to be installed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and provided a case number. The failure mileage was 170,000.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #42

Aug 012016

Sienna

  • 100,000 miles
October 2016 this problem of my 2008 Toyota Sienna started- on slight curves doing 30-40mph I would hear a clicking noise coming somewhere underneath the front right end almost as if under the dash, the vsc light would flash. I took to a Toyota dealership, had a mechanic test drive with me they said the problem was that my tires werent aligned with my last tire change(which was done at their Toyota dealership) Toyota told me I needed to replace all the tires and have the wheels aligned. I did this, problem continued. I took my van in again to Toyota, they lied and told me I needed new brakes, and some other things I didnt need. Decided to get a 2nd opinion from 2 other auto shops and found out Toyota lied about the brakes, they were fine and they both were unable to find out my problem. I found this out going to 2 other auto shops asking for them to look into the original problem. Now today May 2019 this problem still exists, but has gotten worse. Now-the vsc light comes on, it still clicks, the ABS light and warning sound goes off, feels as if ABS engages, as it jerks and im unable to accelerate during this time until im on a straight away. Very scary when it happens the van starts jerking and unable to acelerate, not safe to take my family in. Never buy another Toyota again...

- Sun Prairie, WI, USA

problem #41

Jul 042018

Sienna 6-cyl

  • 55 miles
We have a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The vehicle has 174,000 miles on it. The vsc icon comes on along with the alarm when driving on dry roads and when turning whether on flat or downhill travel with the brakes grabbing and releasing. The situation is unpredictable. Problem started at approximately 173,000. The slip indicator light started coming on intermittently while turning on highways etc. Please make this serious recall for Toyota. You need to force Toyota to take this seriously before someone loses a life. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Chino Hills, CA, USA

problem #40

Feb 012017

Sienna

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. While driving above 55 mph on an inclining or descending surface, the stability control would suddenly activate and the speed would suddenly decrease. There was no response when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact indicated that the failure also frequently occurred when switching lanes. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failures. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The failure mileage was 130,000.

- Kirkland, WA, USA

problem #39

Feb 202018

Sienna

  • 230,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2008 Toyota Sienna suddenly slams on brakes when turning right. Used to be occasionally on mountain curves during last year, but now does it randomly at highway speeds on straight roads and is very dangerous! how do I get Toyota to fix this obvious design defect? car has 230K miles.

- Perris, CA, USA

problem #38

Jan 182017

Sienna

  • 141,000 miles
This car is experiencing sua. It happened in a parking lot an resulted in a crash into a cement wall. It also happened on a winding mountain road.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

problem #37

Sep 122014

Sienna

  • 85,000 miles
Pulled into parking lot at about 15 mph. With my foot on the brake, I slowed down to about 5 to 10 mph to pull into the parking spot. All of a sudden, the vehicle accelerated as if someone had pushed the accelerator all the way to the floor. My vehicle went up over the sidewalk and into the side of a building causing extensive damage to the building. My car was not damaged too badly only about $1,300 as estimated by the appraiser.

- Cohoes, NY, USA

problem #36

Mar 282014

Sienna 6-cyl

  • 42,000 miles
My wife was parking our 2008 Toyota Sienna with our 3 young boys in the automobile. She slowly brought the vehicle to a complete stop; never using gas, just covering and tapping lightly on the brake. Once the automobile came to a stop my wife pressed the brake a little more in order to put the vehicle in park. At that moment the vehicle accelerated incredible fast, jumped over an 8 inch concrete parking lot divider and crashed into a tree about 10 - 15 feet from the concrete divider. We are certain that this was a "sudden unintended acceleration" incident caused by some mechanical, electrical, programming or other defect in the '08 Sienna. This was not "driver error"! my wife did not confuse the gas pedal and the brake. This was not caused by a floor mat obstructing the gas pedal. This was caused by some type of a design or component defect. How can w be so certain? my wife and I have parked in this parking spot (located in our apartment complex) hundreds of times. To park in this parking spot you first have to make a left hand turn at a stop sign. This stop sign is about 30 - 40 feet from the parking spot, which requires that you make a sharp right turn. Once you press the accelerator slightly to make the left at the stop sign, you do not use the gas again. You simply tap and cover your brake until you make the right into the parking spot. Our vehicle came to a stop. In fact, upon "stopping" one of our 3 boys removed his seat belt immediately before the vehicle accelerated out of control. I'm asking for assistance from someone within Toyota or the NHTSA with knowledge of this flaw. My wife and kids were "fortunate". but this is a "fatal flaw" and something must be done.

- Heathrow, FL, USA

problem #35

Nov 242013

Sienna

  • 146,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while driving approximately 1 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and caused the contact to crash into a tree without warning. The contact stated that the brakes were depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. Also, the contact mentioned that the failure recurred on two other occasions. The contact was not taken to a hospital and there were no injuries reported. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic but there was no diagnostic performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 146,000. The VIN was not available.

- Stowe , VT, USA

problem #34

Dec 012012

Sienna 6-cyl

  • 16,875 miles
Just notified of sudden acceleration. Hindsight - starting fall 2012 remote starter died, no warmup, my boyfriend and I experienced engine racing when van was cold multiple times, only way to stop it was hand control brake, foot brake was not enough. Planned to have checked but Dec.1 2012 at the tanger outlet mall in canonsburg pa. I am paraplegic, my minivan is modified with foldout ramp- passenger side sliding door for wheelchair and then I transfer into the drivers seat. All the van handicapped parking spaces were filled but it was early so I parked in a regular space with an empty space next to it so I could get out. Few van accessible handicapped spaces is common so I used regular spots before as long as someone was with me who could back the van up far enough for the ramp to deploy. When my mother, my sister-in-law, my friend, and I returned to the vehicle a pickup truck was parked next to us. My sister-in-law got in the vehicle to back it up so the ramp had room to come out as she had done often. We stood behind the pickup truck waiting for her to back up. All of a sudden the vehicle flew backward so fast that before we could yell stop my vehicle had slammed into the SUV parked across the aisle so hard that it pushed the SUV into the car parked in front of it in the next row. My sister-in-law was completely shocked as were we, it was so fast it was almost like watching a cartoon. My sister-in-law kept saying "I don't know what happened", she thought all she did was put her foot on the brake and put it in gear. Not knowing about sudden acceleration in Sienna's all any of us could think was her foot had slipped even though she has been driving for 25 years without a similar incident she couldn't understand how it could happen, was sure it didn't. the police were called and a report filed. Because one of the welds from modification was broken my vehicle was totaled.

- White Oak, PA, USA

problem #33

Sep 012012

Sienna

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 6 mph, the contact experienced erroneous acceleration due to simultaneously depressing the brake and accelerator pedals. The contact crashed into a curb before the vehicle was brought to a stop. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the pedals could not be adjusted. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

- Richfield, MN, USA

problem #32

Aug 102012

Sienna

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 mph and making a turn he depressed the accelerator pedal but the vehicle began to hesitate and it did not respond. The failure occurred while making a left or a right turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage wa 50,000.

- Locust Grove, GA, USA

problem #31

Nov 062012

Sienna 6-cyl

  • 59,687 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Sienna. The contact stated that the vehicle suddenly accelerated while the brake was depressed and caused the contact to crash into the rear of another vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 59,687...updated 12/11/12 the consumer stated the dealer was notified. The dealer directed the consumer to a local body shop to have the vehicle diagnosed. There were no failures found in the brakes but the mechanic did notice something unusual. The vehicle was taken for repairs. Updated 12/13/2012

- Orlando , FL, USA

problem #30

Sep 142012

Sienna

  • 35,000 miles
Making left turn into parking spot. The car was going very slowly then all of a sudden the vehicle exhibited an unintended acceleration. Vehicle was abruptly steered in opposite direction to avoid collision with car parked in front and applied brakes aggressively. Incident happened in elementary school parking lot. Fortunately, no one was in the immediate vicinity. Vehicle taken to Toyota dealer and was unable to find problem or replicate it.

- Sunderland, MA, USA

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